How Are You Killing Your Resume?

Writing a resume isn’t an easy task. If you’ve been in the employment market for over a decade, by now you must know that it's less than 20 seconds that you have to convince the reader, who on being convinced could become your potential employer. However, we’ve observed that most professionals with over a decade of work experience are the ones who make these common errors while drafting their resumes.

Let’s assume that you’ve done everything right when it comes to using the right fonts, format, and style while drafting the resume to beat the Applicant Tracking System and you’ve managed to get past that stage. It is now that the contents of your resume become all the more important because it is now being evaluated by a human.

When your resume reaches this stage, your work experience, the results you’ve achieved during your work experience, and your accomplishments are the aspects that matter to the reader. It could be instances where you’ve brought in processes to improve efficiency at your previous workplace or it could be an initiative of yours’ that had led to cost-saving. These are aspects that a human reader is a keener on knowing through your resume.

ACTION = RESULTS

Keep this formula in mind while drafting your resume. Think about the original problem and then list down the actions that you set in motion to solve the problem and then list down the impact you created by doing so. It could be saving time or cost. Giving numbers against these validates your claim and increases credibility. Not everything that you have done or considered as an accomplishment can be quantified. So, prioritize the ones that you feel are right there on top. Wherever possible, use indicators such as Rs. or %. This interests the reader because they are looking for results.

Below is a list of aspects that you can ponder on to come up with your own list of accomplishments.

1. Process improvement
2. Increase in productivity
3. Quality of designs
4. Time-saving initiatives
5. Cost-saving initiatives
6. New product development
7. New process initiation
8. Policy improvements
9. Best practice implementation
10. Changes in work culture

Now that you’ve arrived at the list, it's important to know how to place them on your resume.

It's best to place it chronologically under each designation that you have held over the years. Under each designation have a segment for accomplishments and mention the most important one on top followed by the less important ones. You can do this until you have mentioned all the accomplishments against that job role before moving on to the next designation.

It’s a fine line between blowing your own trumpet and showcasing your achievements. Therefore, ensure that the choice of words is subtle yet powerful. It is important that the resume you draft is a pleasing read to your potential employer.

Do drop us a line if you need assistance in drafting a killer resume. You can reach us at the below

0091 8448448780 | d@cvdesigner.in | www.cvdesigner.in